Grandpa’s Coca-Cola Ribs

My all-time favorite recipe for tender, delicious, perfect every time ribs is this one for Grandpa’s Coca-Cola Ribs, which are just what you think they are. Juicy ribs marinated in, among other things, a bath of Coca-Cola soda (or Dr. Pepper, if you prefer), which gives them an amazing consistency and an even more amazing taste. And while I wish I could take credit for this one, it’s actually all about my dad.

Here are my adorable parents, who are just about to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. With all their friends. And all our giant extended family. At my house. Please pray for good weather.

Anyway, my mom has always been an amazing, phenomenal, extraordinary cook. As a matter of fact, when I did the “All About Me” section on this blog and described myself as a self-taught cook, more than one person who has known me for a while pointed out that I actually had a pretty fantastic teacher, otherwise known as My Mother. Totally true! I probably should have mentioned that. At any rate, she was and still is a virtuoso in the kitchen. Fresh-baked bread, home-made pasta, chocolate mousse cake, veal Oscar, marinated mozzarella, the best scones in the entire world, I could go on and on. My dad…well, he made some pretty great scrambled eggs over the years, but he was mainly relegated to kitchen clean-up crew along with the rest of us.

However. Over the past few years, I have had more than one great meal at their house, and complimented my mom on whatever it was, and she said these four words that were not usually ever strung together in my childhood home:

“Your father made it.”

Macaroni and cheese. Shredded beef barbecue sandwiches. And lately, these ribs that are the sweet and spicy kind that literally fall off the bones as you eat them.

Dad? Dad, is that you?

So when he made them for dinner over Memorial Day weekend, I thought that’s it, the world must know about this. And with that, here they are, the world’s most scrumptious and tender ribs, from the world’s most scrumptious and tender dad.

Transfer the ribs to a large non-reactive glass or ceramic dish pour 2 cups of Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper over them. Reserve the third cup of the soda for a sauce to be made later. Let the ribs marinate, tightly covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated, overnight.

Pour the remaining 1 cup of soda into a blender or food processor and add the ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder, pepper, dry mustard, and cinnamon. Mix until smooth and well blended.

Put the ribs in a roasting pan that has been coated with cooking spray, brush with the sauce, and roast covered in a 225 oven for about 2½ hours until very tender. (Can be done the day before. )

To finish, grill over high heat, basting with the uncooked sauce until the outside is crispy, about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile simmer the unused sauce for about 20 minute until a little thick.

Knowing your parents as I do, those words are a pleasure for me to hear. I will be happy to try himself's rib recipe at our earliest opportunity and maybe it will make the next book with his name on the recipe. Love your blog and your family….Nancy

Hi Diane! The ribs are pretty much cooked once they go on the grill – they are being grilled just to get that nice crispy exterior. If you run them under the broiler after the oven time in the recipe (and watch them carefully during the broiling part!) you should get a similar crispy effect. Hope this helps!

Hi Nicole! Cook them at 225 degrees for 2 1/2 hours until very tender. And instead of finishing on a grill: Preheat your oven broiler. Arrange the ribs in a single layer on a foil lined cookie sheet, brush with a little sauce and broil, turning once. Watch carefully so they do not burn! And then enjoy. 🙂

[…] into this oddly sweet mix, alongside a more than generous home made barbecue sauce reduction. Here’s the recipe we based it on. Initial ambivalence aside, they were absolutely delicious! Slow cooking in the oven […]

[…] eats, I’m thinking you have your main course all ready to roll. My dad’s recipe for Coca-Cola Ribs has moved into the first place position on this site as folks get ready to fire up the grill. But […]

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Hi there! I’m Kate, and welcome to my world of cooking, taking pictures of what I’ve cooked, eating it up and then doing the whole thing all over again. My camera and I try to get in and out of the kitchen with delectable meals that are both quick and interesting, which is my favorite combination... If you want to know more….